Critical Role to Host One-Shot D&D Livestream to Benefit L.A. Wildfire Relief: ‘Let's Do Some Chaotic Good'
Critical Role will host a 'chaotic and interactive' one-shot charity livestream titled 'Freaky Thursday,' featuring Bells Hells, the characters from its third D&D campaign played by Ashley Johnson, Marisha Ray, Taliesin Jaffe, Travis Willingham, Sam Riegel, Laura Bailey and Liam O'Brien, with game master Matthew Mercer. Critical Role — whose fans are affectionately called 'Critters' — is behind the hit Amazon Studios animated series 'The Legend of Vox Machina.'
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The Freaky Thursday adventure will be livestreamed on Critical Role's membership service Beacon, as well as its Twitch and YouTube channels, starting Thursday, Jan. 30, at 7 p.m. PT.
Through Critical Role's Tiltify page (at this link), fans can donate or purchase rewards that directly shape the story — and story elements with the most donations will take center stage in the adventure. The group has set a goal of raising $180,000. Each fundraising milestone reached will unlock unique surprises, including 'new allies, unexpected adversaries or even character sheet swaps, ensuring an unpredictable and exciting adventure shaped entirely by the community's contributions,' Critical Role said.
'Let's do some Chaotic Good. <3,' O'Brien posted Monday on X about the charity one-shot.
The charity livestream will go toward organizations providing on-the-ground aid throughout Los Angeles: California Community Foundation Wildfire Recovery Fund, Latino Community Foundation and the L.A. Fire Department Foundation, In addition 10% of each donation will be 'stashed into our overall emergency fund, which allows CRF to send help quickly in the event of a future unforeseen natural emergency,' the company said.
Through its Critical Role Foundation nonprofit arm, the company has already contributed $30,000 from its emergency fund to the California Community Foundation's Wildfire Recovery Fund.
Fans can continue to support Critical Role's wildfire relief efforts through Feb. 28 by donating directly to the Critical Role Foundation as well as purchasing CRF-branded merchandise through Critical Role's online shop.
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Buzz Feed
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12 TV Shows That Nailed The First Season
Recently, u/phantom_avenger asked r/AskReddit, "What TV show had the best first season?" So we thought we'd share some of the most popular suggestions. Westworld "Didn't turn out great but Westworld Season one was incredible."–ShyHopefulNice"I LOVED the first season. It was perfect, and it should've ended there. I remember being really excited for the second season, but also thinking they should have left it well enough alone."–Electric-SheepskinAbout the show: An amusement park for the rich like no other, Westworld is a place where visitors can live out there fantasies, no holds barred, in a Western-themed futuristic park which is accessed by artificial consciousness. Heroes "Jesus, that first season was magical."–LothartheDestroyer"Save the cheerleader, then stop watching the series..."–MadDogFenbyAbout the show: People living regular lives around the world begin to realise that they have been given superpowers. Their lives start to intertwine as they attempt to prevent a catastrophic future. True Detective "Sometimes I replay the beginning just to hear that song and watch the credits."–romuloskagenAbout the show: Two detectives relive one infamous case that they worked on together years previously. In the past, present, and future, we keep discovering the dark mysteries of the case as we learn what happened. Stranger Things "The vibe of the first season is just unmatched. I always love watching them play D&D as kids, it brings back a lot of memories."–Mrspookytales"It makes me feel like I'm a kid again. Horror, D&D, bikes, '80s vibe... It's as close to my childhood on screen as possible lol. Plus the music is absolutely amazing!"–objectively-terribleAbout the show: In a small town in Indiana during the '80s, a group of school children get embroiled in supernatural events and government conspiracies as they fight to defend their town. Mindhunter "This is the one I thought of immediately. Bummed that we never got that third season."–MaizeNBlue88About the show: FBI agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench attempt to get into the mind and psyche of serial killers in order to help catch them. Lost "So great! What a start to a show. It made us all believe that a TV shows could be great, not just movies."–Galen_415About the show: Survivors of a plane crash are trapped on a mystery island; they must work together to overcome the strange dangers that begin to trouble them. Breaking Bad "Sucked you in from the pilot. In my five decades on this planet (yeah, yeah, I know; I'm old lol), I still say that the entire series is the best television series in my lifetime; it's as close to perfection as you can get."–Dexy1017About the show: When a chemistry teacher discovers that he has cancer, he turns to a life of crime in order to provide for his family. Mr. Robot "Rest of the show didn't quite live up, but Mr. Robot S1 was ELITE."–TwilightFanFiction"I always forget about that show but season one felt different than anything I'd seen before. Very original and great writing."–seanc6441About the show: Elliot is a cyber-security engineer, but by night he's a hacker. He becomes increasingly panicked when he's hired to hack his own company by an anarchist. Dexter "S1 of Dexter was fantastic... People really forget how bad S2 and three were... and S4 is considered one of the best seasons in television, but damn the first season really grabs you."–Senna_65About the show: This is the double life of Dexter Morgan. His day job is being a forensic technician for the police department, and in his free time he hunts and kills individuals he believes have committed evil acts. Prison Break "It was like peak TV back then, and you didn't know it was gonna run multiple seasons at the time, so pretty much anything could have gone wrong in their plans."–CaffeinatedLystroAbout the show: When his brother ends up being falsely imprisoned on a death sentence in a prison he helped design, an engineer gets himself in there to help his brother escape. Eastbound & Down "Each subsequent season is decent (even the fourth where HBO pulled up a dump truck of money to Danny McBride to do one more go), but nothing compares to the hilarity and storytelling of the first."–GeddesPrimeAbout the show: We follow Kenny Powers, a baseball player who returns to his home town after the ups and downs of his career. Twin Peaks "That pilot episode alone is a masterclass in and of itself on how to do it."–Fusilli_Agent_CooperAbout the show: After the quaint town of Twin Peaks suffers the tragic murder of a school girl, FBI agent Dale Cooper visits to carry out an investigation. H/T to u/phantom_avenger and r/AskReddit for having the discussion! What are your own suggestions? Let us know in the comments below!
Yahoo
6 hours ago
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A Harry Potter-Inspired ‘Return to Hogwarts' Party Is the Best Way to Fend Off the Back-to-School Scaries
PureWow editors select every item that appears on this page, and some items may be gifted to us. Additionally, PureWow may earn compensation through affiliate links within the story. All prices are accurate upon date of publish. You can learn more about the affiliate process here. You can learn more about that process here. Yahoo Inc. may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. Read the original article on Purewow. Heading back to school can bring a wave of excitement—and anxiety. What will my teacher be like? Will I make friends? What if everyone is over Labubu and I get laughed out of class for my prized Lafufu collection dangling off my backpack?! Sixth grade was a huge adjustment for me, so much so that I dreaded every day of it, those first few weeks—but Harry Potter got me through it. Immersed in a world so fantastical, with characters so oddly relatable (despite the giants and thestrals and a certain immortality-seeking, murderous wizard), I devoured each book so quickly that I had to ration how many chapters a day I'd read, just to extend the storyline a bit longer. So, when my daughter, nieces and nephew seemed less than thrilled at the idea of summer ending—and teacher friends described combatting the 'back-to-school scaries'—I thought, what if we could turn some of that magic into a back-to-school party? Thus, the Return to Hogwarts party was born. Armed with a little creativity, a modest budget (my goal was to spend $150 or less) and roughly three hours to throw it all together, here's what I did—along with some ideas if you want to take things to the next level. (If you do, please send me your photos! I'd love to see them.) What to Make 1. Send the Invites Paperless Post Nobody has time to train a snowy owl to deliver personalized, wax-sealed letters of acceptance (though for $25, you can score a customized Hogwarts letter and supplies list that's frame-worthy). As a cheaper—and more timely alternative—might I suggest modifying Paperless Post wizard party invites (26 cents each) or creating and sending your own for free with Canva? 2. Create Your Own Platform 9 ¾ original photos: candace davison Cover the door—or even a portion of it—with brick bulletin board paper ($12), then tape a Platform 9 ¾ sign to the outside to set the tone of the party as people arrive. I made the Platform sign using the DM Serif Display font within a large circle on Canva (which I'll share here), which I printed and cut out. It took less than 10 minutes, but it made a big impact. 3. Set Up the Great Hall original photo: candace davison Confession: I had aspirations of buying Poly-fil, sheets and LED lights to create a stormy sky, like this phenomenal TikTok, but given my time and budget constraints, I wound up pointing my projector toward the ceiling, playing a loop of a starry sky, and hanging floating candles ($35; $25). Nobody seemed to mind; they were too busy passing around the wand that came with said candles—it functioned like a remote, allowing you to flick on and off the lights with the press of a button. There are a few designs like this sold online, but I've found Michaels Ashland candles are the most reliable and easiest to use. (On that note, shoutout to Michaels in general, because their Ashland line inspired half the decor—like this LED-lighted mantel scarf, $25, LED pillar candle set, $30, and ceramic cauldron, $12, all of which I can re-use for Halloween. Also, I saved 30 percent on my entire order by ordering online for a curbside pickup, which saved me time to boot, since I didn't have to scour stores for what I needed.) original photo: candace davison To further my theme while remaining budget friendly, I bought eight sheets of felt (67 cents apiece), in each of the four Hogwarts houses' colors. I cut them into four flags, using the other four pieces of felt to cut out a giant letter for each house's name, and glued it on top as decorations to hang on the walls. 4. Conjure Up a Sorting Hat Photo Opp original photo: candace davison If you have a statement armchair—or in my case, a swing chair—use it to your advantage. If you don't, you'll have plenty of leftover brick bulletin board paper you can use to cover a wall as a backdrop. To make more of a statement, I flanked the chair with these floating acceptance letter garlands I found on Amazon ($15). They come pre-strung on clear nylon, though I found I needed to use clear packing tape or string them from my curtain rods so they wouldn't immediately (and constantly) fall down. Still, it was worth it, especially when paired with the Official Sorting Hat (at $32, it was my 'splurge,' but it was a must). What to Serve 5. Concoct 2-3 Semi-Spooky Snacks original photo: candace davison There's no shortage of Harry Potter-inspired treats you can serve at your party (Snitch-inspired chocolate bon bons! Butterbeer fudge! Pumpkin Pasties!), but that can get pretty time-consuming. I try to stick to two or three 'statement' snacks (I made green chocolate-drizzled, candy-eye topped "Madeye Moody's popcorn" and pretzel-rod wands) and then round things out with a few kid-friendly basics, like tater tots, pizza cut into two-bite pieces and a basic crudité platter. 6. Rebrand a Few Tried-and-True Classics original photos: candace davison To that end, just because you're not constructing the Marauder's Map out of puff pastry doesn't mean you can't infuse a little magic into the food table with a few creative name cards. That veggie platter? Well, it's Professor Sprout's garden, of course, and the mango-pineapple juice? Trade out the bottle for a pitcher and some test tubes; it's a Polyjuice Potion now. (And, as my niece declared, it was 'the key' to turning her into Hermione Granger—not the costume that my brother-in-law had brought her in.) Even pigs in a blanket can be, uh, Basilisks in a Blanket, with the right signage. What to Do 7. Make Grade School Pennants (or Charm Bracelets) original photo: candace davison Since I was entertaining a gaggle of kids entering second through fourth grade, my crafts were relatively low lift. I put out colored pencils and crayons, along with these printable 'I'm entering ___ grade' pennants our PureWow team designed (which you can use too; just save this PDF). After decorating them, the kids could cut them out and tape them to a bamboo chopstick for their Sorting Hat photos. If you're entertaining an older crowd, they may be down with a goofy sorting hat pic…not so much coloring flags. In that case, pivot! Backpack charms are having a major moment, and if my crew were a bit older, I would've scooped up these Hogwarts and Horcrux charm sets ($15), basic beads in Hogwarts colors and a few Keyring Lobsters ($5). 8. Visit the Wand Shop original photo: candace davison Bamboo Chopsticks ($6) were another Hogwarts party MVP: Not only did I use them for the pennants, but I broke them apart and used them as the base for my wand-making station. Before the party, I used a hot glue gun and glue sticks to design swirls, criss-cross patterns and polka dots along the bottom half of several chopsticks, to give them the engraved and knobby looks of the wands from the Harry Potter series. I covered my table with posterboard, and let each witch and wizard take turns playing with the wand options, as they searched for their perfect fit. Once 'the wand chooses the wizard,' the kids got to paint them, then we moved onto snacks before returning to embellish them with metallic Sharpie markers. In hindsight, I would've added some rhinestones and glue, just for some extra flair for the Luna Lovegoods and future Beauxbatons transfers among us. 9. Get 'Sorted' into Your New Grade original photo: candace davison You're not a regular mom, you're a wizard, 'Arry! Oh, wait, I'm conflating quotes, aren't I? Ah, well. While other parents opt for the standard First Day of School chalkboard sign, I vote that you give your kids a different cheesy photo opp to cringe over in five years! We had fun putting on the Sorting Hat and having kids shout out which grade they were going into, before flashing their pennant (and biggest grins) for a pic. 10. Watch the Movie original photo: candace davison One of the nice things about Harry Potter is that the series grows with its audience, so my younger crowd appreciated seeing the first movie, whereas older kids—as in, 10 and up—may prefer to watch later films, like Prisoner of Azkaban and beyond. (Funny enough, we didn't even get through the movie—the kids were having too much fun pretending to be witches and wizards with their new wands.) The Bottom Line: Don't Overthink It original photos: candace davison It's so easy to turn Pinterest into a Portkey, racking up so many DIYs that you'll need three weeks' time and five figures to create The Core Memory of a Lifetime. But the thing is, all you really need are some floating candles, a wand-making station and solid snacks to have a great (and unforgettable) back-to-school party. Promise. 15 Harry Potter-Inspired Airbnbs You'll Want to Apparate to, Stat
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Speed dating gives New Orleans singles a way to meet IRL
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